Type: Trad, 600 ft, 4 pitches, Grade III
FA: Ken Henderson, Miriam O'Brien, et al in 1927
Page Views: 10,985 total · 93/month
Shared By: T. Moon on Apr 20, 2009
Admins: Jay Knower, M Sprague, lee hansche, Jeffrey LeCours, Jonathan Steitzer, Robert Hall

You & This Route


27 Opinions

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Description

This is the ridge that borders North Gully in Huntington Ravine. Head up a low angle toe of rock. The route is mostly 4rth class with several easy technical spots. The climb kind of ends just after a large ledge with the "diving board" feature, which sticks out into space above North Gully. Very great position with spectacular views of the ravine. Overall is is a pretty fun route although it would be nicer if it didn't kind of run out half way up the side of the ravine.

Location

Hike up the Huntington Ravine Trail from Pinkham Notch. From the center of the ravine identify North Gully -- last one to your right -- and bushwack over to it. (Staying high on the regular trail until it starts to turn left (away from the north side of the ravine) at least means that your bushwhack is level or slightly downhill, MUCH easier!) Depending on the line you pick, this may turn out to be the crux of the day.

Start at the base of, and on the right side of North Gully. (Photo) About 3-4 short pitches leads you to 10' or 15' foot corner off the diving board ledge, once ascended the technical climbing comes to an end and you scramble to the top of Nelson Crag and find the immense cairn. Walk around the Alpine Garden and descend the Lion Head Trail back to Pinkham.

Protection

Light rack, small to medium. You can find a place to put pretty much anything you bring.

Add New Photo
Photo Photo (copy)
Photos

Diving Board From Above p4
Diving Board From Above p4
 1
Looking up at the last short section of technical climbing from the diving board. I suggest finishing up the red corner which is a bit more technical. Once you pull onto the slab this is the start of the 4th class top-out.
Looking up at the last short section of technic…
 1
Lower portion of Henderson Ridge - Diving Board visible top left...
Lower portion of Henderson Ridge - Diving Board…
 3
The beginning of Henderson Ridge
The beginning of Henderson Ridge
 2
Route with four pitches.<br> I found this photo on the web, but cannot find the source anymore.<br> <br>
Route with four pitches. I found this photo on…
 1
Awesome view of the prominent Henderson Ridge as we made our way down the headwall of Huntington Ravine.
Awesome view of the prominent Henderson Ridge a…
 1
View after the first pitch. We had about 50 m of rope out at that point.
View after the first pitch. We had about 50 m o…
 1
Tom on the "DIVING BOARD"
Tom on the "DIVING BOARD"
 0
Henderson Ridge approach cloudy conditions June 2014
Henderson Ridge approach cloudy conditions June…
 0
Henderson ridge in winter. Note North Gully flow left.
Henderson ridge in winter. Note North Gully flo…
 0
Lovey Diving Board
Lovey Diving Board
 0
Top of Henderson Ridge
Top of Henderson Ridge
 0

10 Comments

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john strand
southern colo
john strand   southern colo
Not a bad route and a fun solo . maybe 5.4 Oct 28, 2009
jcomeau2 Comeau
jcomeau2 Comeau  
hey jon, has there been anything done on the steep vertical face on the left of the ridge that drops into north?? Jun 11, 2012
Matt Murphy
Matt Murphy  
Anyone have any info on this as a winter route. Is it considered poor style to climb this in crampons? I know opinions differ. I realize it would suck to scratch up the route and kill or mar any fragile alpine veg. But if it's already a winter route... Any opinions out there? Dec 2, 2012
nhclimber
Newmarket, NH
nhclimber   Newmarket, NH
highly recomended. Have at it, good fun. Dec 3, 2012
Peter Lewis
Bridgton, ME
Peter Lewis   Bridgton, ME
This is a grand adventure as an easy winter alpine rock route! No worries about crampons, just don't be destructive. Nov 7, 2013
jcmaco
  5.4
jcmaco  
  5.4
The start of the route is at Position: N44.27607° W71.28627° Jul 13, 2015
Jerry Gigolo
5.2
Jerry Gigolo  
5.2
Coordinates above are definitely not correct, so don't rely on them.

The top out to this climb is long and annoying to get to the top of the ridge. 5.4 is a stretch. There's maybe one 15 foot section that's 5.4 and the rest of the climb can be done pretty close to upright walking. It was fun, but definitively not all that exciting. Oct 19, 2016
Ben Townsend
 
Ben Townsend  
 
Easy walk-off right from the top of the technical climbing, down through brush to the base. Oct 19, 2016
Zachary Wykoff
Salisbury, NH
  5.4
Zachary Wykoff   Salisbury, NH
  5.4
Great solo. What is nice about this route is that you can make it as easy or as hard as you want depending on what line you take; anything from 4th class to 5.4ish. Escape off to the right if things get hairy. Staying left toward the gully for the 4th class top-out avoids vegetation but requires a bit more scrambling. Jun 4, 2017
Tommy Taft
Arlington, VA
  5.4
Tommy Taft   Arlington, VA
  5.4
Had a blast leading this. Probably could've soloed the whole thing but glad I didn't - this is very much an alpine adventure, so the rock is often chossy and not particularly grippy. Climbed two long pitches and soloed the crux which is more of a boulder problem given the ledge underneath. Left a #6 nut behind on a belay anchor - yours to keep if you have the time to wiggle it out Sep 7, 2018